The present invention relates to an operator face shield for a certain type of hand-held outdoor power equipment, such as a lawn and weed trimmer or brushcutter, that has a substantially straight, elongate shaft or rod extending between a power source and a operating element.
The term “power source” as used herein is intended to mean and include a gasoline-powered engine, an electric motor or any other type of power source that can rotate a power shaft, drive a blower, drive a gear or chain or any other “operating element.” The term “operating element” as used herein is intended to mean and include a device or implement that acts on the outdoor environment in some way, for example by cutting, rasping, trimming, blowing, digging or drilling.
When operating hand-held outdoor power equipment, such as lawn and weed trimmers, brushcutters, edgers, leaf blowers, pole pruners for tree branches, dirt augers, post hole diggers and the like, there is a danger that small solid objects become propelled by the operating element, become airborne in the operator's direction and, most dangerously, fly toward the operator's face. To protect the operator, and particularly the operator's face and eyes, protective apparel, such as headwear, neckwear, facemasks and/or goggles, are usually worn. However, the wearing of such apparel is quite inconvenient and, especially during the warm months of the year, also uncomfortable.
To reduce the danger of injury, various devices, shields and guards have been devised to block debris and other solid objects from flying in the direction of the operator. Such guards or shields are arranged in the vicinity of the operating element, sometimes partially surrounding the element, and forming a barrier between the element and the operator. Such devices are primarily intended for protecting the lower part of the operator's body and are not fully effective to protect the face, thus requiring the operator to wear the protective apparel to avoid the possibility of injury.
For example, the U.S. Patents Nos. D373 ,712; 5,524,349; 6,226,876 and 6,324,765 and U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2004/0031157; 2005/0183269; 2007/0089302 and 2010/0186240 disclose guards or shields of various kinds for use with lawn and weed trimmers to protect the operator of the power equipment. However, all of these known guards or shields extend primarily downward from the elongate rod or shaft connecting the power source with the operating element, thereby protecting the feet and legs of the operator but not necessarily the face.